


The Sandspirit's Tale

by aureateAcatalepsy



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Hearthfixed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 17:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11696760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aureateAcatalepsy/pseuds/aureateAcatalepsy
Summary: Yikes





	The Sandspirit's Tale

Another pirate searching for treasure beneath the golden grains of sand. You could call him a marauder, in fact. His slick black hair pulled back, sticking to the back of his neck by his sweat. He squinted into the distance, seeing nothing but vast oceans of dunes. Much unlike the waves that he usually rides out on the sea. He travels, feet burning through his boots as sand infiltrates every crack and crevice of his body. Every portion of his mind. Endless sand. Why he was walking on foot, is because his hoof beast couldn't withstand this terrible blaze and fell down deceased by dehydration. The pirate started to wonder if he would suffer the same fate. He stumbled a bit and fell forward, onto one knee. He tried to stand again, but the sand seemed to pull him closer, like a greedy lover looking for one last kiss. He didn't know how long he knelt. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. Time passed differently in the sand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. His head turned instinctively towards it. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek. A desert goddess, he thought. Come to take away this soul. She tread barefoot, barely leaving a mark in the sand as she neared. Once beside him, he tried to stand once more. To show dignity. To keep his pride intact. But she gently touched his arm and pulled it over her shoulders, sharing his burden as he fully rose. They walked in silence. Even if he wished to speak, his throat was too parched, and his lips too dry. He could hardly keep his eyes open. But he was glad he did. As they climbed over another large dune, a small oasis came into view. Large coconut and palm trees swayed slightly. Thick green brush surrounded pools of crystalline water.  The sun glinted off it's surface, and made the pirate think it a hallucination of his thirsting brain. She walked him through the thick brush, catching him as he tripped over roots and caught his foot in the leaves. She was practically carrying him as she stepped into the water, barely breaking the pristine clarity. She pulled him into it and he immediately collapsed into it. The water tastes sweet. He couldn't tell if it were naturally so or if he had just been deprived so long. The goddess had to pull his head out to get him to remember where he was. The seadweller smiled at her tiredly. He was too weary to even remember why he was here in the first place. The goddess sat beside him in he water, staring out into the sandy hills.   
"What isss your name?" He heard himself say. His voice sounded raw and gruff, as if he hadn't used it in many years. She turned her stunning red and blue mismatched eyes on him and stared. He could see her working out whether or not to tell him.   
"I am the Spirit of the Sand." She said, her voice soft and gentle like a zephyr. But it was not the answer he wanted.   
"Your real name, Sssand Ssspirit." He said, a bit more affirmative. He didn't know the last time he had wished to know someone's name so terribly. Again she paused, but now she looked away. Unsure of herself.  
"My true name is Meriti." She whispered. Her tone to be barely heard if not for the silence of the desert. "Now you must say yours." She added soon after, as she wrapped her arms around her knees. The pirate nodded, bowing slightly as he said,   
"I am Marauder Viperian. At your ssservice." He said with a wink. But at her unsettled stare, he rubbed the back of his head and said, "But my name isss really Veklov." The Sand Spirit, seemingly now satisfied, stood up from the water and walked towards the dry land once again. The pirate watched her swaying walk, and her clothes as they stuck to her skin.   
As soon as he drank his fill, and was satisfied that he was well cooled, he arose as well, walking to where he had seen the Sand Spirit walking. And there she was, laying out a rug upon the sand. Her clothes had already dried within the few minutes of him resting. She brushed her hands on the skirt of her dress and turned back towards the water, only to suddenly notice him there. She seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly his it, heading past him and towards a coconut tree, to try to get one or two of the treats it provides. He watched her go and went to sit on the rug she had laid out. Closing his eyes and letting himself dry in the sun's rays. He listened as the Sand Spirit hacked away at coconuts and went off in search of something more satisfying to eat. Now left to his own thoughts, he remembered why he had come. There had been treasure to be sought for. Treasure worth 4 kingdoms, as it was told. The only way to reach it, a weary adventurer said, was through the saving grace of a young desert troll, whom most called the Sand Spirit, for she appeared and left like a mirage. He had found her now, and she had taken him to her oasis. Now all he had to do was find the treasure. A voice startled him from his thoughts,  
"Viperian. Here." Came that same soothing speech. She slowly sat in front of him, careful not to drop the many foods she had collected. She had somehow managed to completely and cleanly slice off the top of the coconut, revealing the water inside. She settled it in his hands and went to work selecting nuts and fruits and seeds. She was surprisingly quick and efficient, but he knew she had done this before. He took a sip of the rich water and the maiden took a cloth from her pocket and wrapped a pile of food in it before placing it in front of him. And just like that, she was going again.   
"Wait! Will you come back?" He asked, trying to play off the loud shout. He didn't know why he cared so much. Probably the fact that he still didn't know where the treasure was. She paused and looked at him curiously.  
"Of course. Who else would lead you from here?" She smiled a bit. The pirate was taken aback by how quirky she looked with that smile. Much unlike her usual elegant demeanor.   
She was gone for an hour. Leaving him waiting there, snacking on prickly pear and drinking coconut water, hoping that no sand got into it. He was quite bored and so he awkwardly reminisced on good times. He got so caught up in them that he didn't notice the Sand Spirit as she started setting up a pile of wood covered in underbrush and dry grasses, not too close to the rug. He scrunched up his nose at the thought of more heat, but then took into consideration that the desert nights were many degrees colder then in the day. And it would be soon to sunset now. For all her grace, she struggled on striking the flint and steel in her hands. Trying to create a spark to no avail. After watching a minute of this, Viperian sighed and stood, dusting himself off as he took long strides over to her. Kneeling beside her, he took her hands in his and showed her how to strike the flint properly. It only took two more tries before a flame blazed up on the dry bedding. The Sand Spirit gazed into the fire, thoughtfully contemplating something. He didn't move, not wanting to disturb her. Soon enough, she started to stand. Only then did Viperian realize he was still holding onto her hands. He couldn't help but think they were almost as warm as the sand they stood on. He quickly let them go and looked away from her. She didn't say a word as she walked back to the rug and laid on it, staring up at the sky as it faded dark. The tension between them was so thick that the pirate could've cut through it with a knife. But rather then attempting that, he decided to turn back towards the Sand Spirit.   
"Would you like to hear a ssstory?" He asked, an excited gleam in his eye. He didn't wait for her approval as he rushed right into the story. "One ssstormy day, my crew and I were ssstruggling to keep the ssship afloat. Wavesss crassshed onto the deck and nearly wassshed away my first mate! 'Captain!' They called to me, 'how will we sssurvive thisss?' They asssked. I was holding tight to the railing beside the wheel, making sssure we didn't turn ssstraight into the wind. 'Have you ssso little faith in me?' I asssked them..." The story poured from his voice like a syrup, making him more excited to tell the (only slightly) exaggerated tale. The Sand Spirit stared at him with wide curious eyes, not interrupting him for the tiniest question. "... We had reached the eye of the ssstorm. I had lost two ssshipmatesss and my sssailsss were torn, but I knew the worssst had yet to come. The Maraudersss and I took cover, as we neared the other ssside of the eye..." His stories continued for a long while. Tales of monstrous sea beasts, and of more treasure then one could imagine. Tales of betrayal and of friendships. The sun had long since gone by then, and the young maiden had yet to speak a word. Only staring at him with those disbelieving eyes and smiling that small small. He paused for a drink, as his throat was becoming dry now.   
"Viperian, may I ask something?" She asked finally. He nodded, encouraging her, "What is the sea?" She wondered aloud, and the young pirate nearly spit out his drink. He couldn't fathom anyone not knowing of the endless blue.   
"The sssea isss hard to explain if you haven't ssseen it. It is like the desssert. But it is alive and deep. Made up of nearly endlessssss fathomsss of water like in your oasssisss, but darker, more mysssteriousss. Ssshe is cruel or loving and picksss favoritesss. One day I may take you there to sssee for yourssself." He said, knowing that he did wish to take her from this place, that was true. She looked shocked for a second and nodded quickly, as if he would go back on his offer,   
"I would like to go see the sea with you one day." She sounded like a small child, so much in awe, so overwhelmed by the idea. He smiled a bit.  
"One day we will, I promissse." He said firmly and with that, he looked back to the now fading fire. "It ssseemsss it'sss time to sssleep now. Good night, Meriti." He stood, striding with his usual suave movements, going to lay on the other side of the rug from Meriti. He laid on his back, eyes watching the sky as it turned into an inky royal blue and revealed all the bright stars overhead.   
"Good night, Viperian." He heard her say. Only barely did her voice carry. He closed his eyes and let sleep overwhelm him. 

While he slept, the young Meriti stood, treading on light feet towards and past the oasis. She walked for a good chunk of time before she reached a metal handle sticking out of the sand. Pulling it up, the trap door opened, and she descended down into her hive. She rummaged through chests and boxes, brushing past books and tinctures, only to pull a blanket from the very bottom. It should've smelled musty, but it was sown with herbs into the patchwork. She pulled the bundle into her arms. Though it was not difficult for her to climb back up and out. She took the journey back, sighing in relief to find the pirate still sleeping. She watched him for a moment, saw him shake a bit in the cold. She agreed the air was frigid now, but she was far too used to it. She gently threw the blanket over him, pulling it up to his chin, and gently pushed a strand of hair back from his face. He was by far the most handsome troll who had gotten themselves lost here. He had odd ears though, and breathed from slits in his neck. Different but not unusual. As she recalled him saying, he is a seadweller. One who lives in the water. She wanted to imagine herself as one as well. Swimming down into the secret depths of the oceans. Exploring sunken ships and clinging to the back of wild lussi. She dared to dream for that small fraction of a moment. She took a step away from Viperian and went to go lay back down. She wouldn't let herself get attached to him. After all, everyone who came, only wished to seek a mysterious treasure, even she didn't even know where it was. But she never told anyone. Because if she did, she would meet no more people. She would be all alone. She didn't want that. She only wanted to see everything and know everyone. Maybe one day. Viperian had promised to take her to the sea. That would be when she would do all that. Yes, she would wait. When he will leave, she will wait for him to come back for her. And with that thought she closed her eyes and slept. Dreaming of caravans and forests and the great blue sea. 

The morning rose and Viperian woke along with it. Sitting up, he grabbed a fistful of the heavy cloth laying upon him. He raised it to his nose and sniffed it a bit, reminded of the smell of sage and lavender. He looked about him, squinting at the bright morning light. He remembered where he was. He looked to the other side of the rug, only to find the desert troll was not there anymore.   
"Meriti?" He called and started to stand, looking around in confusion. He stumbled forward and headed towards the oasis, just as the Sand Spirit walked out from the trees, holding a large sack.   
"Oh, you're finally awake." She said, surprise coating her voice. He walked right up to her and frowned,   
"Yesss, I wasss wondering where you went." He said nervously but she just smiled and handed him the bag,   
"That's fine. We are heading out now. I'll take you back to the edge of the desert." She nodded, causing him to reluctantly nod as well.   
"Yesss, I mussst return to my crew." He agreed and with that, they made the long journey back to the edge. They didn't talk much. When they did it was questions about what they were going to do after this. Mostly Meriti asking Veklov though. Upon their farewell, Viperian pulled the Sand Spirit into a tight embrace.  
"I will keep my promise. I will see you again." He said and she nodded, raising her hand in farewell as he headed off towards the nearest town. 

Upon reaching the town, he found that young adventurer waiting in the bar. Waiting for him. He was grinning, and had that same look that told Viperian that he knew something that he didn't.   
"So did you find her?" He asked as Viperian drew up a stool beside him.   
"Yesss, but I found no treasssure." He said thoughtfully. The young olive blood laughed at him, giving him a sly smile.   
"The treasure worth four kingdoms! Right under your nose!" He trilled and Viperian growled at him,   
"What do you mean?" The adventurer sighed and looked at the seadweller,   
"Oh highblood, the treasure you were looking for was the Sand Spirit herself."

A long time passed before we reach our current point in time. In fact it must've been a couple sweeps. 

Whether her new friend was tame enough for their journey was up for much debate. But the longer they traveled through the lands, she began to doubt that The Grand Pillager ever gave her any trouble previously at all. Well, except for the few times when other trolls would try to steal from the pair and she would publicly call them out, physically violent against them, hasseling them until they gave up their wealthy and let themselves be publically shamed rather than be beat down anymore. No one seemed to tell the Pillager "no", lest they invoke her wrath. They had arrived in a town that Meriti found she couldn't remember the name. Sighing, she turned to Ceylah, a pleading look in her eyes, 

"If you go find a tavern and find a place for us to stay, I'll pay for dinner." Ceylah finally looked at her for the first time in hours, staring at Meriti like she sprouted wings, 

"Fuck. Yes." Ceylah exclaimed loudly, drawing a few eyes. With that, the tall purple blooded troll made her way to the nearby tavern, marked clearly with it's brightly pained sign. Meriti sighed, running a hand through her hair and heading to go ask someone what the name of the town was. She searched and searched, and attempted to talk to many people, asking them if they could answer her questions. But all seemed to throw their hoods up higher and shuffle away.  
Meriti glanced up to the fading sky and felt dread settle in her heart as it did every night. She had been searching for such a long time now. So long. So long for her Viperian- her Veklov. She scrubbed her hot eyes furiously, very glad no tears had leaked out. She knew she shouldn't hope so much, that he might feel flush for her as well. After all, everything she had experienced thus far was nothing like the stories she had poured her soul into reading. Perhaps there was nothing like the True Matespritships that she had heard about. Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the powerful troll that leapt from the window of the building next her. They were holding a dark obsidian axe covered various shades of blood. Shocked, Meriti leapt back, unfortunately that only alerted the crazed rust blood to her presence. 

"Sorry bitch, this 'nt somethin personal-" The troll lunged at her, swinging the axe in a wide arc. Meriti jumped back as well, her hand hitting a poster on the wall. A quick glance told her that this wanted poster had this same troll's face on it. A criminal. Not only a criminal, but one that wanted her dead. And so, our lovely Meriti made the smartest decision she had made all day. She turned tail and sprinted out of there. 

Leaping and weaving her way through the dwindling crowds in hopes of dodging that wild eyed troll's weaponry. Glancing around quickly she caught sight of the flashing tavern sign. She didn't even notice as the shrill call left her throat, 

"Ceylah! Ceylah please help!" At the sight of a pair of trolls hurriedly exiting the doors, she sped up, not so much as glancing behind in case she received a face full of axe. As the running figures rushed up to meet her, she finally was able to pick out the features of the second one. 

All time seemed to slow for Meriti, she stared at the sea dweller with wide eyes, the blood rushing to her ears as she pulled out one last step and attempted to leap into Veklov's reassuring open arms. 

And then it hit her. Literally. She heard her spine crack before she felt the pain. The axe bit into her back like a savage lusus, the pain crawling under her skin like fire. Her legs seemed to lock up and then fail her altogether as she falls into Veklov's arms, crying out as the Headsman's weapon was ripped free of my spine. Everything is throbbing, her head, her chest, the wound- she sucked in a desperate breath and immediately regretted it. Veklov was saying something, Ceylah was staring down at her from above- she found focusing was impossible and let herself be cradled into Veklov's arms fighting off the waves of pain she felt. 

"You're okay, you're alright..." she heard, and blinked her blurry eyes to look at Veklov again. "Don't go yet-" He tried to speak but his throat closed and he found he couldn't. Meriti fumbled with the pocket on her dress, her numb finger tips fumbling around until she caught the fickle paper and held  it in her shaking hand,

"Please read it..." She whispered, her voice a hush in the night. Veklov closed his hand over hers, staring at her hopelessly and the honey blood that was beginning to puddle around them. He watched her eyes flicker from him to the sky as she drew in another wet breath. "Veklov... I can see the sea...It's just how you described it..." and out went the breath, soft and quiet, just as gentle as she always had been. Veklov gritted his teeth, his mind reeling. All he had been able to do was to watch her die in his arms. He hated it. 

He nearly forgot the letter she had been clutching in her still warm hands. Gently tugging it free, he began to read.

'Dear Viperian,

This is the 6th time I've rewritten this letter. I kept thinking it may have been so strange and awkward in the way I had written it. Let me explain why I've written this letter. 

Once upon a time, an adventurer in search of treasure traveled to the sea of sand. In this sandy sea, lived a maiden who had never gone to see what was beyond the golden dunes. The adventurer got lost and needed help, and so the maiden found him.   
"You're far from your home," she told him and brought him to her own. To an oasis. There was treasure there and the adventurer knew it but first he would eat a meal the maiden had prepared. During this meal, he told the maiden wild fantastical stores of his voyages and explorations. The maiden found this adventurer's story was much like those written in books, and by the 5th adventure, of fighting against a murderous criminal, she had fallen deep into the crush of red romance for the adventurer, but failed to show it. The next day, she woke the adventurer and she led him out of the desert, thinking she would never see the adventurer again. He didn't even try to steal the treasure. 

Does this story sound familiar? It should. Because, Viperian, it's the story of when I met you. I was confused at first, of my feelings towards you. I enjoyed laughing and smiling with you and listening to your tales. I felt awkward and embarrassed around you, and I didn't realize why until I was reading an old story passed down from my people. Of two desertdwellers of different lands, who fell in love, and it was their love that united their lands. It was then, that I realized I had fallen to feel flushed for you Viperian. And as each day passed, they seemed longer and harder to get through. If I didn't have the courage to say it to your face, this is why you're reading this now. I wish it have the courage. I decided to go out in search of you. I am sitting in the back of a caravan as I write. And I do hope, Viperian, that I find you. 

Whether you return my love or not

Your Sand Spirit,  
Meriti Resuar'

His heart felt like broken glass as he found he could hear her soft, honeyed voice in the words. She had just been in her reach, but now her life had slipped right through his fingers. Clenching his blood covered fists, he let out a low, guttural cry, full of anger and vengeance. Someone would pay. Someone would pay for Meriti's life and the future they had lost together.


End file.
